Bell was asked if he will try to emulate the bruising Bettis, who rushed for 13,662 yards and led Pittsburgh to the Super XL title, a 21-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

"I want to be the best I can possibly be; I don't want to say I'll be like Jerome Bettis,'' Bell said. "I want to go there and be like Le'Veon Bell.''

That was certainly enough to satisfy Dantonio during Bell's three seasons with the Spartans, which he capped by leading the Big Ten in rushing en route to 1,793 yards — the second-highest single-season total in Michigan State history.

Bell deserves the lion's share of credit for maintaining the Spartans' school-record bowl streak (6), putting the team on his back with 266 yards rushing on 35 carries in the final game of the regular season at Minnesota, a win that made State bowl eligible.

Bell then secured Michigan State's third straight winning season with an Offensive MVP performance in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, with 145 yards on 32 carries in a 17-16 win over TCU.

"Le'Veon is the complete football player,'' Dantonio said. "From Day One, Le'Veon Bell was a guy that gave everything he had, whether it was in practice or on the game field.

"He won't quit, that's what I've always appreciated.''

Bell was the second running back chosen in the NFL draft, proving many analysts wrong once again, just as he did when he was rated a two-star recruit coming out of Reynoldsburg, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio.

Bell said he grew up in a home filled with Steelers' fans, so the pick was a popular one.

"There was a whole bunch of screaming and yelling, everybody was just so ectastic that I got drafted by the Steelers, because they're all Steeler fans,'' Bell said. "I am glad I achieved my goal.''